The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) was pushing for a free and fair elections in Malaysia. It demanded the reforms of postal voting, usage of indelible ink, a minimum of 21-day campaign period, allow all parties free access to the media, and put an end to electoral fraud.
The first Bersih rally took place in 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The second rally (known as Bersih 2.0 or the Walk for Democracy) happened on 9 July 2011 worldwide.
The Bersih Rally took place not only in Kuala Lumpur, it spread to all over the world.....
What is Bersih 2 in Malaysia?
Bersih in Malay language means clean.
The Bersih 2.0 rally (also called the Walk for Democracy) was a demonstration in Kuala Lumpur held on 9 July 2011 as a follow-up to the 2007 Bersih rally. The rally, organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), was supported by Pakatan Rakyat, the coalition of the three largest opposition parties in Malaysia, but was deemed illegal by the government. Bersih, chaired by former president of the Bar Council Ambiga Sreenevasan, were pushing the Election Commission of Malaysia (EC) to ensure free and fair elections in Malaysia. It demanded that the EC clean up the electoral roll, reform postal voting, use indelible ink, introduce a minimum 21-day campaign period, allow all parties free access to the media, and put an end to electoral fraud.
The police vowed to stop any rallies from taking place on the planned date on the grounds that all public gatherings without police permits are illegal. Having originally planned to march through the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Bersih decided to hold its rally at Merdeka Stadium after consultations with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Malaysia's head of state.
Supporters of Bersih claim that demands for electoral reform made during the 2007 demonstration fell on deaf ears. UMNO Youth and Perkasa organised counter-rallies, dismissing Bersih's demands for electoral reform, but Perkasa called off its counter-rally due to its inability to secure a venue and permit.
The government officially estimates that 6000 people attended the rally. However, according to Asia Times, "online observations estimated the protester numbers were higher than the implausibly-low official figure." Independent assessments put the rally numbers at between 10,000 (sources sympathetic to the police) to over 20,000 (sources sympathetic to the protesters), while Bersih 2.0 claims a turnout of 50,000 (click to see caltulation). The protestors were unable to congregate at Merdeka Stadium as many were forced to disperse by police who were heavily deployed throughout the city. Police arrested more than 1660 protestors, including Ambiga and several opposition figures. "500 youth members of the ruling party" turned out for the counter-rallies.
(source: wikipedia)
For further info on Bersih 2, kindly visit their website, http://bersih.org/
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